Magnetic game device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a magnetic game device ( 1 ) provided with a frame ( 2 ) in which one or several hole perforation plates ( 3 ) are arranged and which has a back plate ( 7 ) such that hole plate ( 3 ) and back plate ( 7 ) are located in parallel opposite to each other, and said hole plate ( 3 ) forming the front side and said back plate ( 7 ) the rear side of the magnetic game device ( 1 ), wherein the magnetic game device ( 1 ) being provided with at least one magnetic guiding piece ( 11 ) and at least one magnetic playing piece ( 5 ), with the back plate ( 7 ) and the hole plate ( 3 ) being arranged without or with a sufficiently narrow gap between them so that the playing piece ( 5 ) follows the movement the guiding piece ( 11 ) performs when the guiding piece ( 11 ) is moved over the back plate ( 7 ), and wherein the hole plate ( 3 ) being provided with adequately sized cutouts ( 4 ) allowing the playing piece ( 5 ) to pass through said cutouts ( 4 ), and wherein the hole plate ( 3 ) and the back plate ( 7 ) are arranged vertically, the hole plate ( 3 ) is interchangeable in frame ( 2 ), and the back plate ( 7 ) is nontransparent.

The invention relates to a magnetic game device provided with a frame in which one or several hole perforation plates are arranged and which has a back plate such that hole perforation plate and back plate are located in parallel opposite to each other, and said hole plate forming the front side and said back plate the rear side of the magnetic game device, wherein the magnetic game device being provided with at least one magnetic guiding piece and at least one magnetic playing piece, with the back plate and the hole plate being arranged without or with a sufficiently narrow gap between them so that the playing piece follows the movement the guiding piece performs when the guiding piece is moved over the back plate, wherein the hole plate being provided with adequately sized cutouts allowing the playing piece to pass through the cutouts.

Such magnetic game devices have for example been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,116,929. A playing piece in that case is moved by means of a guiding magnet over a hole plate permanently attached to the frame, with the objective of the game being to guide the playing piece along a path sketched out on the hole plate and in doing so prevent the playing piece from falling into one of the holes. The drawback of that game, however, is that the player guiding the playing piece can see the hole plate thus being able to evade the holes in the most simple way. Moreover, the hole plate is permanently mounted within the frame and provided with a regular and easily remembered pattern. For that reason, games of this type are primarily suited for children but not for young persons or adults.

Although the maze is of more sophisticated configuration in the embodiment as per patent publication U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,960, the player is still able in that case to view the maze through a transparent plate and with the help of a guide magnet move the playing piece around and away from the obstacle-forming wall elements.

It is, therefore, the objective of the present invention to propose a generic magnetic gaming device which is suitable to be played by several persons and has a maze that can be changed most easily. The game shall be ambitious and for that reason suited for use not only by children but especially by adults as well.

The objective is achieved by the subject matter stipulated in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are included and described in the sub-claims and the description given hereinafter.

In essence, the present invention proposes that the hole plate can be variably inserted into the frame such that said hole plate is located opposite a back plate mounted in or attached to the frame and that the back plate is nontransparent, wherein it is envisaged that the playing piece is moved over the hole plate side facing away from the back plate by moving the guiding piece over the back plate side facing away from the hole plate. In this manner, the player moving the guiding piece is denied viewing the hole plate and must therefore fully rely on a teammate who is able to see the hole plate and thus capable of giving instructions how to move the guiding piece in an effort to circumvent the openings resp. cutouts arranged in the hole plate.

As proposed by the invention the hole perforation plate shall be understood to be a plate provided with cutouts, wherein said cutouts arranged in the hole plate being of a size sufficient for the playing piece to pass through said cutouts. The hole plate may have an optional form. Preferred in this context are rectangular hole plates, with hole plates of square shape being particularly preferred. Number and form of the cutouts can also be optionally determined as desired. Preferably, a large number of cutouts of different and irregular shape are arranged in the hole plate. In this way, an ambitious maze is created that even after playing the game repeatedly is difficult to memorize by the player moving the guiding piece and being unable to see the maze. It is also conceivable that raised portions are arranged on the hole plates with a view to increasing the difficulty level, said raised portions being meant to prevent the playing piece from passing certain spots or places. Preferably, several hole plates are employed, but especially preferred are four hole plates.

Expediently, the back plate is arranged within the frame, with its arrangement in the end area of the frame depth being especially preferred, and thus forms the rear wall of the frame. The back plate may be permanently attached to the frame. Since the back plate is nontransparent the player moving the playing piece will be unable to view the hole plate.

Within the meaning of the invention the term “oppositely arranged” shall be understood to mean that back plate and hole plate are essentially arranged parallelly to each other.

The guiding piece and the playing piece must be made of magnetic material that enables a mutual movement. It is particularly useful that the guiding piece is provided with a permanent magnet. Accordingly, the playing piece must at least partially consist of a ferromagnetic material or of a permanent magnet in the latter case, care must be taken to ensure the polarity of the magnets is correct, i.e. the magnets must attract and not repel each other, which means the unlike poles must be arranged so as to face one another. However, it is also conceivable to use a guiding piece and playing piece comprising system wherein the playing piece is provided with a permanent magnet while the guiding piece consists at least in part of a ferromagnetic material. In lieu of a permanent magnet an electromagnet may basically be employed as well.

The hole plates can be inserted into the frame and are replaceable. In this way, a great variety of different game situations can be created and made available such that the game remains interesting for the users in the long term as well. The optionally available variations in this respect can be increased by inserting several hole plates into the frame, for example two or four, so that various different combinations can be used. Additionally, the hole plates may be designed so that they can be inserted into the frame in two or also four different directions and this will also allow an increased number of conceivable playing options. Especially, if several hole plates are used it is of importance to design the transition area from one hole plate to the adjacent one as flush as possible so as not to create undesirable obstacles for the playing piece. This may, for instance, be accomplished by the slots accommodating the hole plates as well as the adjacent areas being adapted to suit the thickness of the hole plates.

The frame is preferably of rectangular or square shape. In a particularly preferred embodiment the frame is provided with slots for mounting hole plates, wherein it is envisaged that the hole plates are pushed into the frame via said slots. For practical purposes, the slots are arranged on two oppositely located sides of the frame and essentially extend over the entire frame side. The slots in this way are arranged on the surface facing the interior of the frame at the respective frame sides. This arrangement enables a hole plate to be inserted via the slots in two oppositely located frame sides so that it is kept in a stable position on both sides and appropriately spaced apart in relation to the back plate.

This makes it possible to create and disassemble a maze in a very simple and quick manner so that a plurality of different maze configurations can be built. A maze may, for example, be modified in that the placement order and/or the positions of the inserted hole plates are changed. Another possible variation of the maze may also be achieved by inserting a hole plate into the frame via different sides of the hole plate. Especially effective in this context are hole plates provided with an irregular hole pattern.

A preferred embodiment provides for at least one strip to be mounted in the frame, with said strip having slots intended for the insertion of hole plates into the frame. This enables the number of hole plates that can be inserted into the frame and the variability of the maze to be increased. Increasing the number of hole plates (with the inner area of the frame remaining unchanged) necessitates, however, that smaller plates have to be used. With hole plates that do not extend over the entire width of the frame a problem will nevertheless be encountered insofar as the plates cannot be kept in position through the slots provided in two oppositely located frame sides. This problem is resolved by slotted strips or ledges to be arranged in the frame, with said strip, in an advantageous embodiment, being permanently attached to the back plate or the frame and extending essentially in parallel to the frame side in which slots are arranged. This makes it possible to insert smaller hole plates, one side of which is mounted via the slot in one frame side and the other side pushed in place via the slot provided in the strip such that these plates are kept in a stable position and appropriately spaced towards the back plate. In the event several strips are employed, hole plates can also be placed between two of these strips.

The strip may be provided with abutment faces for the hole plates to make sure the hole plates are appropriately spaced in relation to the back plate and furthermore prevent the hole plates from being dislocated laterally.

Since the slots and abutment faces normally accommodate only a small portion, that is to say the edge of the hole plates, advantages are gained by providing the back plate with raised portions suited to support the hole plates, especially in the central part of the plate.

Hole plate and back plate are arranged vertically such that the player controlling the guiding piece and the player who views the hole plate and gives instructions to his/her teammate are sitting directly opposite each other. Within the scope of the invention slight deviations from the exact vertical alignment are still regarded as being vertical. However, the angle of the hole and back plates from vertical should not exceed 30°, preferably not more than 20°, and further preferred not more than 10°. If considered necessary, the inclination of the hole and back plate may also be adjustable.

A preferred embodiment provides for the hole plate and back plate to be spaced apart, wherein the interspace between the hole plate and the back plate is greater than the height of the playing piece, i.e. the playing piece should be smaller in at least one dimension than the gap existing between hole plate and back plate. In case of an essentially disk- or coin-shaped playing piece this should be the height of the disk/coin. The playing piece may of course be smaller in ail dimensions than the gap existing between the hole plate and the back plate. In this way, a playing piece that has fallen in a hole can no longer be moved back onto the hole plate by means of the magnetic guiding piece but for the time being remains within the interspace between the plates. This will also ensure that the playing piece is no longer magnetically attracted as soon as the guiding piece is removed from the back plate, whereupon said playing piece is caused to fall down through the interspace due to gravitational force so that it can be readily picked up by a player for the next game or move. The playing piece should be expediently shaped to make sure it cannot jam or become stuck when falling through the interspace but falls down largely without interference.

To maintain the hole plate in vertical position a preferred embodiment of the magnetic game device comprises the provision of a supporting base that is connected with the lower part of the frame, wherein said connection may be of detachable design. Especially preferred in this context is that the connection between the supporting base and frame is designed in a manner allowing for the lower part of the frame to be inserted into the supporting base. This ensures the game device can be simply and quickly assembled and disassembled.

In a preferred embodiment the supporting base has been provided with a hollow space connected with the interspace in such a manner that a playing piece falling down through the interspace enters and is accommodated in the hollow space. Moreover, the bottom at the lower end of the hollow space may be sloped such mat the playing piece is guided towards the opening. The sloping region is intended to cause the playing piece to move further down until it has reached the opening area so that a player can reach through the opening and remove the playing piece. In this way, a collecting basin for the playing pieces is created which is integrated into the supporting base. The slope may be designed as an inclined plane, with curved surfaces being conceivable as well.

In a preferred embodiment the back plate is provided with a layer of a ferromagnetic material, for example a film or sheet of iron. Also conceivable is a film consisting of some other magnetically attractable material. Preferably, the film covers the entire back plate; however, it is also feasible that the back plate in its entirety may be made of the respective ferromagnetic material. However, the film may also be attached to the back plate by gluing, for example. Such a film or layer enables the guiding piece to adhere to the back plate so that the player moving the guiding piece is not required to constantly hold the guiding piece on the back plate throughout the game.

The magnetic game device is excellently suited for playing in teams, with at least two players cooperating in such a way that the first player who is unable to see the hole plate moves the playing piece with the help of the guiding piece whereas the second player who is viewing the hole plate gives instructions to the first player where to move the playing piece in an effort to avoid getting into one of the cutouts arranged in the hole plate. The objective of the game may for instance call for guiding the playing piece through a maze towards a target point, wherein not only the cutouts may constitute obstacles in the maze but, for example, also raised blockading portions located on the hole plate. The hole plate may also have marked fields onto which a playing piece may be moved where-upon the respective team is rewarded or penalized (e.g. by adding to or reducing the score). Moreover especially suited is the magnetic game device for competitions in which several teams take part and the relevant teams are challenged to reach the target or goal with their playing piece first. This imposes high demands on the skillfulness of the players and their ability to work in a team and communicate effectively.

Further elucidation of the invention is provided by way of the following figures which only show exemplified and advantageous embodiments of the invention, where

FIG. 1a shows a frontal view of an advantageous embodiment of the magnetic game device,

FIG. 1b is a sectional view according to section A shown in FIG. 1 a,

FIG. 1c is a sectional view according to section B shown in FIG. 1 a,

FIG. 2 is a perspective representation of an advantageous embodiment with the playing piece being located in a collecting basin in the supporting base,

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of an advantageous embodiment of the magnetic game device.

FIG. 1a shows an advantageous embodiment of the magnetic game device 1 as viewed from the front. Four hole plates 3 are inserted in a frame 2. The cutouts 4 in hole plates 3 are of a size which is sufficiently large for a playing piece 5 to pass through. The frame 2 is inserted into a supporting base 6 which enables the magnetic game 1 to be vertically positioned.

FIG. 1b shows the sectional view as per the section A shown in FIG. 1 a. In this figure the nontransparent back plate 7 can be seen which is permanently attached to frame 2 and is appropriately spaced in relation to hole plates 3 so that an interspace 8 is created between the back plate 7 and hole plates 3. The interspace between the back plate 7 and the hole plates 3 is greater than the height of the playing piece 5.

Since the hole plates 3 do not extend over the entire width of the frame, strip 9 which is permanently attached to back plate 7 is provided with contact faces for the hole plates 3 so that the hole plates 3 continue to be appropriately spaced away from the back plate 7 and, moreover, cannot be displaced laterally. It can also be seen that the hole plates 3 are inserted into frame 2 through the slots 10 arranged in the sides of the frame.

The playing piece 5 is moved by means of a guiding piece 11 which is a permanent magnet and adheres magnetically to the back plate 7 due to the iron film/layer attached to back plate 7. The playing piece 5 in this way follows the movement performed by guiding piece 11.

FIG. 1c illustrates the sectional view as per the section 8 shown in FIG. 1 a. In this representation the playing piece 5 is located on a hole plate 3. The player moving the playing piece 5 with the help of the guiding piece 11 is located behind the back plate 7 and is unable to see where the cutouts 4 are arranged in hole plate 3. Assisted by instructions given by a teammate who can view the hole plate 3 the guiding player shall move the playing piece 5 in a way that ensures it circumvents the cutouts 4. Should this not be successful the playing piece 5 falls into the cutout/opening 4 and thus into the interspace 8 (see FIG. 1b ). Since the gap between the back plate 7 and me hole plate 3 is larger than the height of the playing piece 5 the playing piece 5 falls downward through interspace 8 as soon as the guiding piece 11 is taken off the back plate 7.

A playing piece 5 can be seen in FIG. 2 that has fallen through interspace 8 and can be retrieved by a player out of the collecting basin in supporting base 6. For this purpose, a hollow space is arranged in the supporting base 6 and provided with a connection to interspace 8 so that the felling playing piece 5 is allowed to enter said hollow space. A curved surface 12 enables the playing piece 5 that has fallen down to slide into and then come to rest inside the collecting basin.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of an exemplified embodiment of the magnetic game device 1 and in particular depicts the way the hole plates 3 can be inserted into frame 2. It is obvious from the figure that there is a plurality of configuration options by means of which different mazes can be created most easily and quickly. To this end, one or several of the hole plates 3 may be turned around (for example by 90°, 180°, or 270°). It is also possible, for example, to interchange the position of all or only individual hole plates 3. In this exemplified embodiment the hole plates 3 are inserted into frame 2 from above. It is also conceivable, however, to insert said plates from the side, for example. 

1. Magnetic game device provided with a frame (2) in which one or several hole perforation plates (3) are arranged and which has a back plate (7) such that hole plate (3) and back plate (7) are located in parallel opposite to each other, and said hole plate (3) forming the front side and said back plate (7) the rear side of the magnetic game device (1), wherein the magnetic game device (1) being provided with at least one magnetic guiding piece (11) and at least one magnetic playing piece (5), with the back plate (7) and the hole plate (3) being arranged without or with a sufficiently narrow gap between them so that the playing piece (5) follows the movement the guiding piece (11) performs when the guiding piece (11) is moved over the back plate (7), and wherein the hole plate (3) being provided with adequately sized cutouts (4) allowing the playing piece (5) to pass through said cutouts (4), characterized in that the hole plate (3) and the back plate (7) are arranged vertically, the hole plate (3) is interchangeable in frame (2), and the back plate (7) is nontransparent.
 2. Magnetic game device according to claim 1, characterized in that several hole plates (3) are arranged in frame (2).
 3. Magnetic game device according to claim 1, characterized in that the frame (2) is provided with slots (10) for the insertion of hole plates (3), wherein the hole plate (3) is inserted into me frame (2) via the slots (10) and thus kept in position in the frame (2).
 4. Magnetic game device according to claim 3, characterized by at least one strip (9) arranged within frame (2), with said strip (9) having slots or contact faces to ensure the hole plate (3) is spaced away from back plate (7) and avoid a lateral displacement of the hole plate (3).
 5. Magnetic game device according to claim 1, characterized in that the hole plate (3) and the back plate (7) are spaced apart to create an interspace (8) between the hole plate (3) and the back plate (7), with the gap between the hole plate (3) and the back plate (7) being larger than the height of the playing piece (5).
 6. Magnetic game device according to claim 1, characterized by a supporting base (6) which is connected to me lower part of the frame (2).
 7. Magnetic game device according to claim 5, characterized in that the supporting base (6) is provided with an opening which has a connection with interspace (8).
 8. Magnetic game device according to claim 7, characterized in that the supporting base (6) has a hollow space and said hollow space is connected with interspace (8) in such a manner that a playing piece (5) failing through the interspace (8) enters the hollow space, with the bottom at the lower end of the hollow space having a downward slope causing the playing piece (5) to be guided towards the opening.
 9. Magnetic game device according to claim 1, characterized in that the guiding piece (11) is provided with a permanent magnet.
 10. Magnetic game device according to claim 9, characterized in that the playing piece (5) consists at least partially of a ferromagnetic material or a permanent magnet.
 11. Magnetic game device according to claim 1, characterized in that the back plate (7) is provided with a layer of a ferromagnetic material.
 12. Magnetic game device according to claim 1, characterized in that the back plate (7), with a view to supporting the hole plate (3), is provided with raised portions pointing in the direction of hole plate (3). 